CHAPTER REWARDS FAQ

Chapter Rewards FAQ

What does the AGA Chapter Rewards program do?

The Chapter Rewards program operates similarly to an airlines or credit card rewards program. Chapters are awarded points when AGA members affiliated with that chapter do things that earn points. Points can then be used by chapters to get reimbursed for activities related to the promotion of American go.

What member activities can earn points for chapters?

Initially the AGA has focused rewards on activities that are key indicators of organizational health: membership, and tournament activity. Points will be awarded for new and renewing full memberships (Youth, Promotional, Adult, and Life) and for AGA rated games played.

How do chapters use points?

If a chapter engages in an approved go promotional activity then a picture of the receipt should be emailed to rewards@usgo.org with a short description in the email of what the activity was. Include an address and contact information as well. After approval the chapter will receive a reimbursement check up to the value of their point balance.

What is an affiliated member?

In the membership database there is a field indicating the AGA chapter that a member is primarily affiliated with. The field may be blank in which case there is no chapter affiliation. Members can change their chapter affiliation online at any time if they so choose.

What if a member is not affiliated with a chapter?

When a member with no chapter affiliation does something that would earn points, those points go into a general AGA account. The President may use those points to give to chapters as an additional means of recognizing go promotional activities.

Are points transferrable?

Yes. A chapter may give points to another chapter by sending an email to rewards@usgo.org. As mentioned above, the President may also approve the transfer of points from the general AGA account.

Do points expire?

Points that are not used within two years of the date on which they were earned are transferred to the general AGA account and are no longer available to the chapter. When a chapter uses points they are used on a first-in-first-out basis, i.e. the oldest earned points are used first.

Will the program be transparent?

Yes. All points earned, reimbursements, transfers, and point balances will be posted monthly on usgo.org.

Isn’t it easier for bigger chapters to earn points? What about small chapters?

The formula for calculating point awards gives a bonus award to small and medium chapters to encourage their growth.

How are points calculated?

The base calculation is as follows:

1. For each year of Adult full membership (including Promotional and can be new or renewing) – 5,000 points

2. For each year of Youth full membership (new or renewing) – 2,000

3. Life membership – 25,000 points

4. AGA rated game played – (points are earned once for B and once for W) – 500 points

Additionally for small and medium clubs:

1. For clubs with 0-4 members the point award will be at 3 times the base calculation.

2. For clubs with 5-9 members the point award will be at 2 times the base calculation.

The calculation is done once a month using the club sizes at month end before any new memberships are applied. The affiliations used are those from the end of the month as well.

Examples:

Chapter X has more than 9 members, Chapter Y has 5-9 members, and Chapter Z has 0-4 members.

1. A new adult member joins the AGA and signs up for 2 years of membership and affiliates with chapter X. Chapter X will earn 5,000 x 2 = 10,000 points.

2. An adult member of Chapter Y renews for three years. Chapter Y will earn 5,000 x 3 x 2 = 30,000 points.

4. A new adult member signs up for 1 year and does not affiliate with a chapter. 5,000 points will go into the general AGA account to be administered by the President.

5. A member of Chapter X plays a rated game against a member of Chapter Y. Chapter X will earn 500 points and Chapter Y will earn 500 x 2 = 1,000 points.

6. A member of Chapter Z plays a member with no chapter affiliation. Chapter Z will earn 500 x 3 = 1,500 points. 500 points will go into the general AGA account.

What are points worth?

Points are valued at $0.001 each. With 100,000 points, for example, a chapter could be reimbursed for up to $100.

Will point awards or point valuation change?

The AGA reserves the right to evaluate the program on an ongoing basis and change what is rewarded and/or how many points are awarded. The point valuation will not change and any points already earned will not be affected.

What activities are reimbursable?

The intent of the program is to foster chapter enthusiasm and creativity to promote American go and will generally reimburse expenses towards that end. Costs associated with running a tournament such as advertising, food, rent, prizes, etc would be considered reimbursable. The cost of a Meetup group to promote go activities would be reimbursable as would the costs associated with a go outreach event at a school, library, or cultural festival. Personal expenses unrelated to go promotion are not reimbursable. If there is a question as to whether an expense is reimbursable it is best to ask first by email to rewards@usgo.org. Chapters are expected to exercise good judgment and the AGA reserves the right to deny expenses if there appears to be any attempt to game or otherwise manipulate the rewards system.

What if a chapter is not current in its AGA dues? Can it still earn points?

Yes. Points can still be earned by activity of members who are already affiliated with that chapter. However points cannot be redeemed until a chapter is current in its dues. Points can be used to pay AGA dues and automatic renewal with points can be done upon request if there are enough points available.

Can my chapter get reimbursed for expenses that occurred before points were earned?

Points need to be earned before expenses are incurred. The only exception is for expenses incurred during the same month points are earned. So for an expense occurring anytime in a month, all points earned by the end of that month could be used for reimbursement. Any points earned after that month ends could not be used to reimburse that expense.